Erica Cerutti

States are beginning to take vaccine policies and recommendations into their own hands amid turmoil at the CDC, which could lead to a patchwork of varying approaches across the country and raise logistical questions for multi-state health systems.  This year, changes to the vaccine landscape — particularly surrounding COVID-19 shots…

Silver Spring, Md.-based Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Regional President and CEO Andre Boyd Sr. was appointed to two healthcare leadership boards. The Maryland Hospital Association named Mr. Boyd to its board of trustees as one of five new members elected for fiscal 2026, according to a Sept. 3 health system news…

The U.S. government’s termination of nearly $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard University violated the First Amendment and federal law, a judge for the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts ruled Sept. 3.  Judge Allison Burroughs said the Trump administration “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault…

Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard University is the No. 1 university in the U.S. for cardiac and cardiovascular systems, according to U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking. The list was published in June as part of U.S. News’ 2025-2026 “Best Global Universities” rankings, which evaluated 23,450 universities in total. Read more…

The statistics are clear: GLP-1 medications can have a dramatic effect on cardiovascular health.  Recent research has shown both semaglutide and tirzepatide — the active ingredients in Ozempic and Wegovy, and Mounjaro and Zepbound, respectively — can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization and all-cause mortality for heart failure patients.…

Women represent 41% of participants in clinical trials investigating cardiovascular health and disease, according to a study published Aug. 31 in JAMA Network Open. Led by researchers from Los Angeles-based Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, the study analyzed participant data of 1,079 cardiovascular clinical trials from between 2017 and 2023,…

Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found there is no standard definition for what constitutes contamination in a blood culture, which could lead to more false positives and CLABSI infections. “We found variation in how hospitals define blood culture contamination, and that lack of standardization could dangerously stack the odds toward…

As the largest employers in most communities, hospitals and health systems are always looking for new talent.  With the nation’s birth rate hitting a record low last year and the country’s rapidly aging population placing unprecedented demands on the U.S. healthcare system, the onus is on us as healthcare leaders…

The FDA has issued a warning letter to Amneal Pharmaceuticals, citing “significant violations” of manufacturing standards after finding the drugmaker used contaminated IV bags in the manufacture of injectable products.  The violations, discovered during a March inspection of the company’s Gujarat, India, facility, revealed that Amneal continued to manufacture and…

Health systems are increasingly focused on offering healthcare “samplers” to young people before they choose a career path.  One pursuit is a $250 million initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which includes Memorial Hermann in Houston, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and 11 other health systems. The systems partner with high schools…

Oracle has laid off workers at its former Cerner campus in Kansas City, Mo., KMBC reported. The software giant has let go of employees and consolidated operations in Cerner’s former home city after buying the EHR vendor in 2022 for $28.4 billion. Oracle Health is now headquartered in Austin, Texas,…

A strike by nurses at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Mich., has entered its third day. The roughly 700 registered nurses at the hospital are represented by Teamsters Local 332. The union and hospital began negotiations for a new labor contract in the spring. On Aug. 21, 93%…

Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health has trimmed its workforce by 3% — a reduction of 308 positions — amid ongoing financial challenges and operational restructuring, a spokesperson for the health system confirmed to Becker’s.  About 100 of the affected employees were laid off Sept. 3, while the rest of the…

Rockford, Ill.-based Mercyhealth has signed a purchase agreement with pastor Melvin Brown, PhD, and his wife, Sheila Brown, for its shuttered Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton in Rockford. The hospital closed in early July after Mercyhealth filed a “temporary suspension of services” with the state. In late 2021, the health system filed…

AI salaries are on the rise, as some new college graduates with expertise in the technology are making $1 million a year, the Wall Street Journal reported. Non-managerial workers in AI with zero to three years of experience had their base salaries increase about 12% from 2024 to 2025, the…

A new study commissioned by the American Hospital Association has found patients treated in hospital outpatient departments typically are sicker and require more medically complex treatment than those seen in independent physician offices.  The study, published in September and conducted by KNG Health Consulting, is based on Medicare data for…

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health has reported measurable improvements in chronic disease outcomes through its virtual lifestyle medicine partnership with Nudj Health. Launched in 2023, the partnership has supported more than 3,000 Corewell Health patients using a model that combines the system’s clinical expertise in nutrition, physical activity, stress management…

Becker’s has reported on eight hospitals or health systems that have opted to outsource finance jobs or other revenue cycle functions in 2025: 1. Great Falls, Mont.-based Benefis Health System on Sept. 3 struck an end-to-end revenue cycle partnership with Ensemble Health Partners.  2. Jonesboro, La.-based Jackson Parish Hospital on…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will expand access to catastrophic health plans beginning Nov. 1 through new hardship exemption guidance, the agency announced Sept. 4. The expanded eligibility may reduce uncompensated care burdens for hospitals and health systems by bringing more low-income patients into coverage — particularly…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will increase enforcement against healthcare organizations that block access to electronic health information, citing the need to improve patient engagement and protect data rights. Here are six things to know: The effort, announced in a Sept. 3 press release, directs…

Note: This page was created Jan. 10 and was updated Sept. 4. Aug. 18-Sept. 2 1. Terence Farrell exited his role as president of a three-hospital regional system in Ada, Okla., part of Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy, and was named CEO of West Plains, Mo.-based Ozarks Healthcare. 2. Denise Schepici plans…

Tucson, Ariz.-based Banner-University Medicine named Beth Draves, RN, chief nursing officer. Ms. Draves has been serving as interim chief nursing officer for the past year, according to a Sept. 2 system news release. She joined the academic medical center in 2018 and has held leadership roles in the emergency department,…

A commonly available nasal spray may significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections, according to clinical trial results.  Researchers from Saarland University Hospital in Germany led the study, the results of which were published Sept. 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine. They found that regular use of azelastine, an over-the-counter antihistamine…

Florida will move to scrap all vaccine mandates in the state, including routine immunization requirements for children entering kindergarten, state officials said Sept. 3.  Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, the state’s surgeon general, shared plans to eliminate vaccine requirements during an event alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis that highlighted the state’s alignment…